Plans to be beamed up came crashing down

I was really looking forward to opening the cereal box. The outside of the package proclaimed that inside was the prize of my dreams - a Star Trek Beam-Up Badge.

Just imagine - I would have the power to transport myself anywhere in the universe. Where would I choose to be if I could be anywhere? It was an interesting question. I finally decided to beam myself to a spot beside a clear mountain stream with no signs of civilization except for a well-marked path. I wondered if it was possible to take my husband along? If so, we could beam ourselves to Prejeans in Lafayette, Louisiana for supper then to Texas in time to tuck our grandchildren into bed.

I was giddy with anticipation. I unsealed the box and extracted the prize. Wait, it wasn't silver. It was black with a green and purple button. I tried it anyway.

Nothing happened. Rats.

Maybe I was holding it wrong. I tried again.

Nothing.

I checked the box. I had received a Romulan beam-up badge. I guess a Romulan badge won't work on humans. Phooey.

(For the non-Trekkies out there, Star Trek is a science fiction television and movie series. Beaming up involves moving from place to place almost instantaneously and according to current scientific knowledge is an impossibility. Romulans are the bad guys.)

So much for my weekend plans. I had been invited to a retirement party and a graduation party this weekend. My mother called on Saturday morning and asked me to come down. She had received a couple of pieces of mail that puzzled her plus she had some plants that needed to be relocated outside.

Mom always takes precedence over parties. Okay. Maybe not always. It was a beautiful day and I considered all the work I was leaving behind at home. I am in the middle of painting windows, door frames and such. Weeds are dwarfing the flowers. The garden, what there is of it, is pathetic as it is mostly burdock, garlic mustard and bindweed. Plus, there is the never ending housework.

I left it all behind and drove for more than an hour to get to her house. I took care of the mail in a matter of seconds. The planting took another few minutes.

What she really wanted was some company. She was lonely. We spent a couple hours visiting then I headed for home.

All the painting, weeding and other assorted chores will still be there waiting for me whenever I get to them. Mom, on the other hand, might not.

She is 80 years old. She is as healthy as someone her age who has assorted health problems can be. Mostly she gets lonely. I confess to not visiting as often as I should. After all, it is a long drive and there is so very much that needs to be done around here. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by it all.

I forget that she has always put me first, even when it cost her dearly. Driving for an hour or so when I have other plans is the least I can do to repay her for all she has done for me. I do enjoy the time we spend together. She is beginning to tell me stories from her childhood that I had never heard before. That, alone, is worth spending time with her.

But just think, if that Beam-Up Badge had worked, I could check on her every day without spending hours on the road. Maybe someday, someone will prove the scientists wrong. Maybe someday teleportation will be a common, safe and convenient mode of transportation.

I think I'll go try that Badge again.

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